September 2012 Straight-Line Spotlight

Greg Stanfield, a standout driver from Louisiana, earned the distinction of racing the first fifth-gen Camaro within NHRA’s 500ci Pro Stock class ranks. Stanfield and his crew chief Ed Guaranccia hit the circuit with the Jerry Haas-built car that features a ’12 body by Five Star Bodies and joint primary sponsorship from Frontier Oilfield Services and Nitro Fish. The slick new machine, which took over one year to build and to clear the NHRA class approval process, will most certainly not be the last. There have not been any active Chevy Camaro cars within NHRA Pro Stock class for over a decade, but that is rapidly changing. There are now several other prominent current GM teams scheduled to follow Stanfield’s lead this summer.

Roadster Retention

3/5

Duane LaFleur campaigns one of the neatest Camaro-bodied cars seen anywhere in NHRA Sportsman drag racing. Built by Race-Tech, Duane races the ’68 model in both Super Gas (9.90) and Super Comp (8.90) categories using a 540ci big-bock Chevy by Sexton Racing Engines. LaFleur has raced the car since 2007 very successfully, but you would never know it’s in its sixth year of competition. The car, which was painted by Carl Root (Peoria, Illinois) and lettered by Dan Delaney (Tonawanda, New York), continues to retain an immaculate appearance. LaFleur’s all-family operation includes Gail and Annette LaFleur and receives valued sponsorship from Jiffy-Tite, Weldon Racing Pumps, K&N, and Lucas Oil.

A Trendy Comp Car

4/5

Jim Greenheck, who is the President of C-Tech Aluminum Trailer Cabinets (Weston, Wisconsin), was the first racer to introduce a ’12 model Camaro for NHRA’s Competition Eliminator class. Greenheck debuted his Jerry Bickel “purpose-built” car during NHRA’s Gatornationals last March, running it in C/AA with a 378ci Jenkins Competition small-block Chevy engine program and a Coan three-speed automatic transmission and converter. Jim’s company provides funding and Dewy Lehmann, (crew chief) Debbie Kropp, and Dave Basten are his team’s supporting cast.

Virginia Versatility

5/5

The word "versatility" quickly comes to mind when describing the meticulously maintained ’98 Chevy Camaro raced by Virginia’s Sterling Simmons. First built by the legendary Bobby Warren in 1999, Sterling acquired the Camaro in 2001 and has been racing it in a variety of classes since. Those classes include Stock, Super Stock, and Top Stock Eliminator, and Sterling has claimed victories in each class. Currently, Sterling is running the car in NHRA D/SA trim with a 350ci engine program by Warren Engines (Clinton, North Carolina). His success with the car is the result of a close association with fellow Camaro camp, Urquhart Racing, as well as the support of his racing family: son Sterling Simmons III; wife, Cynthia; and daughter Chandler.